Unlike last year, Murray has been ordinary on clay this season, having struggled to win a title yet. The world number headed into the tournament on the back of a shock first-round exit in Madrid. He had scratchy start to his campaign in Paris, dropping a set against his first-round opponent Andrey Kuznetsov before he survived a scare against Martin Klizan in the second round.

However, with comfortable wins over Juan Martin Del Potro and Nishikori, Murray will be confident of winning his third straight match against Wawrinka.

The 2015 champion, on the other hand, has hit peak form on the dirt, having not lost a set yet in the ongoing tournament despite playing against tricky opponents of the likes of Fabio Fognini, Gael Monfils and Cilic. The Swiss star turned his season on clay around with a title in Geneva last month, which came after disappointing results in Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome.

With a spot in the final up for grabs, a tightly-fought contest is on the cards between the two players. Having beaten Murray on clay thrice before his loss last year in the semi-final, big-match player Wawrinka has a slender edge over the Scot in today's encounter.